Lesson 5

The Personal Planets

Meet Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars—the planets that define your core personality.

In astrology, planets represent different drives, needs, and functions within your psyche. The personal planets—Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars—move relatively quickly through the zodiac and describe the most intimate aspects of your personality. These are the planets that make you uniquely you.

The Personal Planets

☉ The Sun - Your Core Identity

The Sun represents your essential self, your life force, and your conscious will.

The Sun governs:

  • Your ego and sense of self
  • Your life purpose and direction
  • Your creative self-expression
  • Your vitality and life force

Key question: Who am I at my core?

The Sun takes one year to travel through all twelve signs, spending about a month in each. Your Sun sign is what most people mean when they ask, "What's your sign?"

☽ The Moon - Your Emotional Self

The Moon represents your inner world, emotions, and unconscious patterns.

The Moon governs:

  • Your emotional needs and reactions
  • Your instincts and intuition
  • Your relationship with comfort and security
  • Your connection to the past and family

Key question: What do I need to feel safe and nurtured?

The Moon moves quickly, changing signs every 2.5 days. It's deeply personal and often describes the private you that only close ones see.

☿ Mercury - Your Mind & Communication

Mercury represents how you think, learn, and communicate.

Mercury governs:

  • Your thinking style and mental processes
  • How you communicate and express ideas
  • Your learning preferences
  • Your sense of humor and wit

Key question: How do I process and share information?

Mercury is never more than 28 degrees from the Sun, so it's always in your Sun sign or an adjacent sign.

♀ Venus - Love & Values

Venus represents what you love, value, and find beautiful.

Venus governs:

  • Your approach to love and relationships
  • Your aesthetic preferences and style
  • What you value and find worthwhile
  • How you attract and receive pleasure

Key question: What do I love and what brings me joy?

Venus is never more than 48 degrees from the Sun, so it's always nearby in your chart.

♂ Mars - Action & Drive

Mars represents your drive, ambition, and how you assert yourself.

Mars governs:

  • Your energy and physical vitality
  • How you pursue goals and take action
  • Your anger and how you handle conflict
  • Your sexual drive and passion

Key question: How do I go after what I want?

Mars takes about two years to complete the zodiac, spending roughly two months in each sign.

Key Points

  • 1Sun = Core identity, purpose, conscious self
  • 2Moon = Emotions, needs, unconscious patterns
  • 3Mercury = Mind, communication, learning style
  • 4Venus = Love, values, beauty, pleasure
  • 5Mars = Action, drive, assertion, passion

Personal Planet Blend

Someone with Sun in Capricorn (ambitious, structured), Moon in Pisces (emotionally sensitive, imaginative), Mercury in Aquarius (innovative thinking), Venus in Sagittarius (loves adventure in relationships), and Mars in Aries (direct, competitive drive) would be a complex blend: outwardly responsible and ambitious, inwardly dreamy and sensitive, mentally progressive, romantically freedom-loving, and energetically bold.

Reflect & Practice

Look up your five personal planets. How do their sign placements reflect different aspects of who you are?